Sr. Manager - Instructional Design, Sales Training

PayPal • San Jose, CA

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Company PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers. We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities. Job Summary: This job will lead complex projects and participate in problem resolution, requiring an understanding of current business trends. You will determine methods and procedures for new assignments, often resulting in global process improvements. Job Description: Essential Responsibilities: Lead complex projects to improve sales operations. Analyze business trends to identify opportunities for process enhancements. Implement new methods and procedures for special assignments. Coordinate with global teams to ensure consistency in operations. Mentor managers and provide guidance on project execution. Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications: Senior Manager, Instructional Design, Sales Training Overview The Sr. Manager, Instructional Design, Sales Training is a strategic leader within PayPal’s Sales Training Center of Excellence, responsible for accelerating sales effectiveness across our global field organization. In this role, you will bring deep instructional design expertise and a strong understanding of sales capability building to create sales training programs that are not only engaging and well-crafted, but that drive measurable behavior change and commercial impact. You will lead a team of instructional designers and learning specialists, setting the standard for how great sales training is built, delivered, and continuously improved in a fast-moving fintech environment.. Key Responsibilities Instructional Design Strategy & Standards Define and champion the instructional design philosophy and standards for all sales training content, establishing a consistent and scalable framework for how learning experiences are scoped, designed, developed, and evaluated Select and apply the most appropriate instructional design models such as ADDIE, ensuring all solutions are grounded in adult learning theory, cognitive load principles, and evidence-based instructional practices Drive a culture of design excellence within the team, setting high standards for quality, creativity, and learner experience across all content formats Content Design & Development Lead the end-to-end development of rich, multimodal learning experiences including e-learning modules, instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, microlearning, scenario-based learning, job aids, and performance support tools Write and oversee the development of compelling scripts, storyboards, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, and assessment instruments, maintaining a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure all materials are accurate, on-brand, and aligned to current sales priorities Partner with subject matter experts across Sales, Product, Marketing, Commercial teams to extract knowledge effectively and translate it into clear, accurate, and engaging learning content Sales Capability & Curriculum Design Design comprehensive onboarding curricula that accelerate time-to-productivity for new sales hires, and build role-specific learning journeys that map to the full arc of a seller's development across segments including SMB, Enterprise and Partners Develop competency frameworks and skill maps that define what great looks like at each level of the sales organization, and use these to anchor all curriculum design decisions Design programs that build capability across core sales competencies including value-based solution selling, customer discovery, objection handling, commercial negotiation, and fintech and payments literacy Needs Analysis & Learning Measurement Lead thorough training needs analyses to diagnose root causes of performance gaps and determine when and whether a learning solution is the right intervention Apply evaluation frameworks such as Kirkpatrick or Phillips ROI to measure program effectiveness at the levels of learner reaction, knowledge retention, behavior transfer, and business results Build dashboards and reporting mechanisms that use data and learner insights to continuously iterate on programs and communicate impact to senior stakeholders in a meaningful and credible way Stakeholder Partnership & Collaboration Act as a trusted instructional design advisor to sales leaders, facilitating co-design sessions and workshops to build alignment on learning objectives, content direction, and realistic expectations for training outcomes Partner with global enablement teams to audit and leverage existing learning assets, adapting and contextualizing global content for regional markets rather than duplicating effort Communicate progress, design decisions, and program outcomes clearly and confidently to senior leadership, positioning the instructional design function as a strategic and credible partner to the business Technology & Learning Innovation Lead the selection and effective use of authoring tools such as Articulate 360, Rise, Camtasia, Captivate or equivalent platforms, and oversee the management and optimization of the Learning Management System to ensure a seamless learner experience and actionable reporting Continuously explore and pilot emerging learning technologies including AI-powered coaching tools, adaptive learning, video-based learning, and mobile-first design Stay current with trends in instructional design, learning experience design, sales enablement technology, and the broader fintech landscape to continuously evolve and modernize the learning function

Requirements

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Education, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 8+ years of experience in sales enablement, sales training, or sales effectiveness roles, with at least 5+ years leading teams in a global or matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated success designing and scaling enterprise-level sales training programs.
• Strong understanding of complex B2B and enterprise sales cycles and modern sales methodologies (e.g., Challenger, MEDDICC, SPIN, Sandler).
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-influence skills, with the ability to operate at both strategic and execution levels.
• Experience leveraging learning management systems (LMS), enablement platforms, analytics, and content management tools.
• Proven ability to translate PayPal’s strategic priorities into practical, measurable learning solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Certification in instructional design or learning and development such as ATD, CPTD, or equivalent, and familiarity with sales training methodologies such as Challenger, SPIN, or Sandler
• A portfolio of work demonstrating a range of learning modalities and design approaches, reflecting a genuine passion for the craft of instructional design and a commitment to raising the bar on learning quality
• Experience working in a matrixed, global organization with regional instructional design responsibilities, ideally within the fintech or payments industry

Responsibilities

• Lead complex projects to improve sales operations.
• Analyze business trends to identify opportunities for process enhancements.
• Implement new methods and procedures for special assignments.
• Coordinate with global teams to ensure consistency in operations.
• Mentor managers and provide guidance on project execution.
• Define and champion the instructional design philosophy and standards for all sales training content, establishing a consistent and scalable framework for how learning experiences are scoped, designed, developed, and evaluated
• Select and apply the most appropriate instructional design models such as ADDIE, ensuring all solutions are grounded in adult learning theory, cognitive load principles, and evidence-based instructional practices
• Drive a culture of design excellence within the team, setting high standards for quality, creativity, and learner experience across all content formats
• Lead the end-to-end development of rich, multimodal learning experiences including e-learning modules, instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, microlearning, scenario-based learning, job aids, and performance support tools
• Write and oversee the development of compelling scripts, storyboards, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, and assessment instruments, maintaining a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure all materials are accurate, on-brand, and aligned to current sales priorities
• Partner with subject matter experts across Sales, Product, Marketing, Commercial teams to extract knowledge effectively and translate it into clear, accurate, and engaging learning content
• Design comprehensive onboarding curricula that accelerate time-to-productivity for new sales hires, and build role-specific learning journeys that map to the full arc of a seller's development across segments including SMB, Enterprise and Partners
• Develop competency frameworks and skill maps that define what great looks like at each level of the sales organization, and use these to anchor all curriculum design decisions
• Design programs that build capability across core sales competencies including value-based solution selling, customer discovery, objection handling, commercial negotiation, and fintech and payments literacy
• Lead thorough training needs analyses to diagnose root causes of performance gaps and determine when and whether a learning solution is the right intervention
• Apply evaluation frameworks such as Kirkpatrick or Phillips ROI to measure program effectiveness at the levels of learner reaction, knowledge retention, behavior transfer, and business results
• Build dashboards and reporting mechanisms that use data and learner insights to continuously iterate on programs and communicate impact to senior stakeholders in a meaningful and credible way
• Act as a trusted instructional design advisor to sales leaders, facilitating co-design sessions and workshops to build alignment on learning objectives, content direction, and realistic expectations for training outcomes
• Partner with global enablement teams to audit and leverage existing learning assets, adapting and contextualizing global content for regional markets rather than duplicating effort
• Communicate progress, design decisions, and program outcomes clearly and confidently to senior leadership, positioning the instructional design function as a strategic and credible partner to the business
• Lead the selection and effective use of authoring tools such as Articulate 360, Rise, Camtasia, Captivate or equivalent platforms, and oversee the management and optimization of the Learning Management System to ensure a seamless learner experience and actionable reporting
• Continuously explore and pilot emerging learning technologies including AI-powered coaching tools, adaptive learning, video-based learning, and mobile-first design
• Stay current with trends in instructional design, learning experience design, sales enablement technology, and the broader fintech landscape to continuously evolve and modernize the learning function

Benefits

• At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager